It has started getting cold here in Canada. The winter clothes are out and people have started taking safety measures in order to protect themselves and their family members from the frost that engulfs the entire country during winters. It is very important to be extra cautious when kids are in the house because they are more prone to cold and flu.

Parents need to ensure a few important aspects when letting their kids out in the open. Winters doesn’t mean that parents have to ban their kids from going outside. After taking certain safety measures, kids can go out and enjoy the snow, build snowmen, tobogganing or forts. They can do skiing as well. The major concerns for parents when their kids go out are, cold and flu, fever, frostbite and hypothermia.

Let us take a look at the preventive measures

It is important to dress up your child in the right manner to prevent cold & flu, frostbite and hypothermia when they go out into the cold. Parents also need to check that their kids are not spending too much time outside. Especially, during the morning and evening time when it is colder and windier. Kids like making snowmen, but parents should call them up after an hour or so to take some break to warm up before getting back outside to finish snowmen. The same measures are needed to be taken by the daycare facilities, as most kids spend most of the time in these facilities. There are many home daycares in Newmarket, but some are not agile when it comes to taking care of kids during winters. Therefore, it is important for parents to enrol children in reputed daycare facilities so that their health should not be jeopardized.

The three most common health issues faced by kids during winters are:

Fever

When the temperature of the body gets beyond 37 Degree Celsius or 98.6 Degree Fahrenheit subject to fever. Basically, fever is a defence mechanism that is used to counter bacteria that affect the body. A child with an age of a year or less should be taken to a doctor if he/she is suffering from fever. Children having an age of 2+ years can be easily treated at home by taking the right medications. It is important to keep them hydrated and relaxed, otherwise, the problem can soar. Bundling children with layers of clothes is not recommended. Just a couple of warm clothes are good enough because more clothes lead to discomfort. There are certain medications for kids available in the pharmacy stores, so you must only get that for your children.

Frostbite

This is another painful condition that occurs during the winter season. Frostbite is the inflammation of the skin when it is exposed to extreme cold. This can damage multiple skin layers, so do all the possible things to make sure that frostbite doesn’t get your kids.

The symptoms of frostbite are:

1. Numbness.
2. The skin area is whiter than the nearby areas of the skin.
3. Pain.

What do parents need to do when they see their kids have frostbite?

Parents need to keep the affected area warm. Don’t place it in front of the heater or fire, as it will cause more damage. The best thing to do is to put the affected area in the warm water and place it there until the colour returns. In case, the frostbite turns into blisters, then consult a doctor and don’t break them.

Hypothermia

When the temperature of the body drops below the normal value, then that’s Hypothermia. When people stay out for a long period of time without proper covering, then this condition can arise. Canada has more lakes than any other country and they usually freeze during winters. It is difficult to determine whether it is the frozen land or lake.

The ice may not be as solid and kids usually jump and use pointed stuff while playing, so they may break the ice and fall into the freezing water. This can cause hypothermia. If anything like this happens, take the children out of the water, remove the wet clothes and cover them with a blanket.

Child care services in Newmarket that plan outing should have all the essential tools to protect kids from hypothermia. Kids are innocent and don’t think before doing any certain action, so parents and day carers need to increase the level of responsibility during winters.